The Artemis Labs PH-1 Phono Stage

It is ironic that 25 years after the launch of the standard CD by the Sony and Philips digital consortium vinyl LP sales have recently eclipsed those of the two high-resolution digital formats. The statistics are quite humbling. During 2004, vinyl exceeded the combined sales of DVD-Audio and SACD! If Sony had pinned its SACD hopes on the audiophile market they must be bitterly disappointed by now. Neither hardware nor software sales could be sustained by the high-enders. The mass market appears more interested in convenience per se rather than sound quality, opting for the ultra convenience of MP3s and the iPod. The public has spoken with its pocket book; one can only conclude that the vinyl LP is presently the leading consumer high-resolution audio format.
If you are reading this, you obviously must have more than a passing interest in good sound, and in particular, upgrading the performance of your vinyl playback system. So please stay tuned, the following is required reading for anyone interested in a remarkable phono stage at a reasonably affordable price. Featuring a nominal mid-band gain of about 50dB, the PH-1 should be able to accommodate even low-output (but not insanely low) moving-coil cartridges when used in conjunction with a line preamplifier of 10dB to 20dB of gain. I had no trouble at all obtaining more than enough gain with my Symphonic Line RG-8 gold cartridge, a low-output moving coil cartridge hand crafted by A. J. van den Hul.

- The Artemis Labs PH-1 Technology
- The Artemis Labs PH-1 Sound
- Artemis Labs PH-1 Specifications
- Artemis Labs PH-1 Company Information


Review By Dick Olsher
Information from Enjoy the Music.com